Cebuanos now have more reasons visit Taiwan as AirAsia Philippines launches its newest route, a direct flight from Cebu to Taipei! I am personally thrilled because I’ve always wanted to see Taipei 101 in person, and because of this new route of AirAsia Philippines, now I have more options when booking a flight.

Taiwan is located north of the Philippines, and a direct Cebu to Taipei flight will only take about 2.5 hours. Though the Philippines is 4X larger than Taiwan, the country is also very rich in culture, history, and natural scenery. Transportation in Taiwan is also very efficient making traveling from one tourist spot to another very convenient. Tourist will also feel secured as Taiwan was ranked as 2nd Safest Country in the World in 2015 by Lifestyle9.com.

There were about 139,000 Filipinos who visited Taiwan in 2015 and that number is expected to grow this 2016 because they recently eased their visa rules for Filipinos, along with the citizens of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and India. According to Taiwan Economic Cultural Office (TECO), passport holders from the Philippines, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam who are permanent residents of Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Schengen Agreement signatories, the United Kingdom, or the United States, or hold a visa or a resident card from one of these countries that is either valid or expired within 10 years from the date of expected arrival in Taiwan, will now be eligible to apply online for a Taiwan travel authorization certificate, free of charge. On Visa Application page, simply choose eVisa Application from the options.

This move was brought by Taiwan’s “South Bound Policy”, which aims to boost their economy and tourism.

Philippines AirAsia CEO Captain Dexter Comendador said, “We are delighted and excited to paint Cebu skies red with our latest direct flight to Taipei. The addition of Cebu-Taipei enables us to further strengthen our hub in Cebu. Cebu offers wonderful opportunities for Taiwanese businessmen and we are here to provide the much-needed connectivity with our signature low fares and world-class service to enable more and more people to engage in business, trade and commerce aside from tourism.”

Beginning November 25, 2016, AirAsia Philippines will start servicing Cebu – Taipei route thrice weekly. AirAsia Philippines will also start their daily Manila – Taipei route on November 21, 2016.

AirAsia Philippines Cebu – Taipei Flight Schedule

Z2 7124 Cebu – Taipei

Wednesdays
Departure: 6:35am
Arrival: 9:25am

Fridays and Sundays
Departure: 6:10am
Arrival: 9:05am

Z2 7125 Taipei – Cebu

Wednesdays
Departure: 10:20am
Arrival: 1:10pm

Fridays
Departure: 10:10am
Arrival: 1:00pm

Sundays
Departure: 10:30am
Arrival: 1:20pm

Know the latest promotion and activities of AirAsia Philippines via Twitter (@AirAsiaPH), Facebook (facebook.com/AirAsiaPhilippines), Instagram (@AirAsiaPh), and on Viber public chat (@AirAsiaPh). Visit airasia.com to book your flights online.

Photos by: Yuan Gatdula